HB 6329 is a long overdue bill giving students with conscientious objections the right to abstain from classroom dissections or experiments on animals. HB 6329 has already passed favorably out of the Joint Committee on Children, the Office of Legislative Research, the Office of Fiscal Analysis, and the Committee on Education. It now awaits a vote on the House floor.

In 2010 and 2011, a similar bill passed the House but died in the Senate. Last year, an identical bill was approved by all House committees, but was unfortunately never called for a vote in the full House. Previously, the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) was the main opponent to the bill, citing concerns about paperwork and cost that were without merit. However, CABE will reportedly not testify against the bill this year.

With your support, 2013 could be the year Connecticut students are finally given the right to choose dissection alternatives and join students in other states whose rights to conscience and compassion are already protected.

How to Take Action:

Please take a minute to let your legislators know you support a student’s right to dissection alternatives and encourage them to pass HB 6329: An Act Concerning Dissection Choice. For contact information, enter your address here.

Traditional specimen dissection wreaks havoc on the environment and poses health risks to students and the public due to the use and disposal of carcinogenic preservatives like formaldehyde.

Because many frogs cannot be bred and are taken from the wild, specimen use contributes to endangered amphibian population decimation. Furthermore, it involves an industry that has been shown to be cruel and without concern for the suffering it causes living animals destined to be killed and prepared as specimens.

Some students are discouraged from pursuing science careers because they do not want to dissect, eliminating future important contributors to scientific progress. Studies show students who use alternatives learn as well as, or better than, students who followed traditional dissection curriculum. Over 90% of medical schools have eliminated animal-based teaching methods, validating that traditional dissection in grades K-12 is outdated and unnecessary.

The National Science Teachers Association and the National Association of Biology Teachers support dissection alternatives. Please help Connecticut progress scientifically and ethically by supporting HB 6329!